


Oxyosphresia

by SirJosephBanksFRS



Category: Aubrey-Maturin Series - Patrick O'Brian
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-27
Updated: 2013-07-27
Packaged: 2017-12-21 12:13:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/900179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SirJosephBanksFRS/pseuds/SirJosephBanksFRS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>En route to Lisbon, Stephen finds that his complete abstention from laudanum has sharpened his senses and stimulated his appetites.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oxyosphresia

_Since having left off my draught, I have noticed a generalised sharpening of my senses. Certainly, the increase in my ability to apprehend the taste and flavours of food and drink is no surprise, given the general dulling sensation of laudanum on the appetite and one must wonder how much of the gustatory sensations are driven by the animal spirits, particularly those that reside wholly in the belly. I do not find my sight and vision substantially affected, though I perceive myself to be more alert and observant and less apt to miss that which appears before me. Of my tactile sensations, I am not sensible of a great enhancement except that I am now more conscious of a variety of pains of which I was apparently insensate with my nightly dose of laudanum. I fear this increased pain has made me more irritable in general. Nor do I notice that my auditory senses measurably improved, the matter again appears to be my improved attention rather than the acuity of my actual hearing._

_Strangely enough, what I have noticed most substantially is a most dramatic difference in my olfactory perceptions: viz. an ability to perceive the most subtle odours and essences that I previously had no awareness existed whatever. An entire world of olfactory perception has seemingly been opened unto me, for good or for ill. The most sublime and the most nauseating odours are far stronger than they have ever been in my life. I also sense the faintest, verging on imperceptible scents routinely, scents that no one else appears to have any cognizance of whatever. To my great astonishment , I registered a fetid odour coming from somewhere in the quarters of the foremast jacks, went amongst them and pulled out Simmons and desired him to take off his boot and discovered the beginning of gangrene in his smallest toe which he had caught on a nail. The toe came off forthwith but the question is how I could possibly sense this from the companionway to the lower deck. My ability to perceive a scent is nowhere near that of the most decrepit hound, but it seems to be several orders of magnitude greater than that of the typical man._

_It is a curious phenomenon, as well, that I have observed that I now possess a realisation of sensibility of perception to be enabled to name these faintest aromatic essences of JA's inclinations of the heart and yet I lack the words, in most instances, to describe these very faint aromas in any manner. Perhaps I possess next to no lexicon for olfactory properties, perceptions and sensations whatever and this is where my paucity of descriptives lies. JA going into battle exudes a scent I should describe only as "optimism." Of what does this optimism consist in, what does it smell like and from whence does it emanate? My response is completely inadequate and only to say,"good" or "calm assurance to follow," but what does that smell like? Clean, fresh, like sun on linen hanging over a field of fresh clover, strongly from the top of JA's head and the sides of his neck. Would I actually claim that JA exudes such an odour? And yet I do and it is the scent of confidence of victory. I have also had the occasion to smell the stench of would be defeat in other men, a prognostication which was never in error. Is it the interaction of the humours themselves with the actual corpus that create such discernible spoor, which men must presumably apprehend without any conscious realisation? Or some other factor? It is a potent weapon to be able to perceive such traces of scent in a man because unlike words, he cannot will himself to lie, but the degree of familiarity required makes it unlikely to be of any use with a stranger. I assume that I similarly have such aromatic essences attached to my own person and my moods and of them, I perceive absolutely nothing whatever, though try I might. Nor do I sense any traces on my clothes, no matter how faint._

 

Stephen Maturin came to realise in addition to his now curiously heightened ability of olfactory perception that the intimacy he shared with his particular friend, Jack Aubrey was of such long duration and such unparalleled familiarity that now, after thirteen years of the nearest association and friendship, he could actually perceive many of Captain Aubrey's most closely held sentiments as distinct though very faint scents emanating from his person. Jack full of heady enthusiasm about to lead his men in battle was entirely different from Jack beset with the blue devils, which was again different from Jack frustrated and annoyed with bureaucratic delay of a dockyard which was different from the redolence of Jack Aubrey consummately happy on a Saturday night, belly full and in anticipation of playing some music he had been looking forward to for almost an entire week. Maturin’s methodically analytical nature led to a compulsive observation and notation of these aromatic essences of Jack for the purpose of predicting the sensible states of his particular friend. Dr Maturin delighted at the correctness of his observations.

Maturin could also now sense and identify by smell arousal in Captain Aubrey. He realised now that he actually remembered vaguely perceiving it long, long ago and how it had reflexively angered him. He recalled Master and Commander Aubrey coming back late to the _Polychrest_ and smelling strongly of Diana’s Marcillac mingled somewhat faintly (or not so faintly) with what the doctor had instinctively perceived to be arousal. It had made the hair on the back of his neck stand up and he had invariably sought to put as much distance as possible between himself and his particular friend in that cursed ship, rushing to his own cabin with his fists reflexively clenched by his sides.

So many years later, the shock was to realize now that this scent of arousal from Aubrey on board was almost always triggered by Maturin himself. He knew that scent so well, now, and it was unbelievably potent and attractive to Dr Maturin even in the minutest discernible quantities. He felt himself react viscerally in its presence.

A week out en route to Lisbon, Stephen Maturin came in to see Jack Aubrey in the great cabin and barely perceived Jack’s arousal in the air around him. To his own astonishment, he felt his own mouth start to water, felt a tingling sensation in his own prick, felt himself stiffening and he shamelessly told his captain that he must speak with him privately _and_ immediately, it was a matter of the utmost urgency and Captain Aubrey had looked at him very seriously and locked the great cabin door. Maturin then set upon him so hard and fast that Jack was completely taken aback and had laughed out loud until his breeches and stockings were lying around his ankles atop his shoes and his surgeon was kneeling before him fellating him. Jack gasped and then gasped more as Stephen's index finger was suddenly stroking his prostate through his rectum and he was about to fall over.

"Stephen!" Jack hissed."Stephen, my God, let me sit down on the locker." Stephen looked up into his face. They moved to the stern lockers and Jack's whole body trembled as Maturin played his andantino on his prostate and prick and then penetrated him. Jack moaned and covered his mouth with his forearm as Stephen expertly drove him to the brink and beyond. They both lay there for a moment in silence until the doctor opened the pocket of his waistcoat and took out two cambric handkerchiefs and gave Captain Aubrey one and wiped his semen from Jack's person with another. Jack Aubrey was still shaking, his hand trembling as he dabbed his own semen off his belly. Stephen leant forward and kissed the underside of his scrotum very tenderly, closing his eyes and deeply inhaling Jack's aromatic essence, the scent of arousal, desire, and satiation with which Dr Maturin suddenly wished to fill his entire head.

"Stephen," Jack said very, very quietly into Stephen's ear, "sodomy at four bells in the first dog watch ain't quite the thing on a man of war. Even if it is a letter of marque."

"I beg your pardon, Jack." Stephen Maturin said, his lust now completely sated so he felt utterly chagrined to have behaved in such a manner, so chagrined that he actually blushed quite deeply, an extremely rare occurrence. He wondered at himself, at how he could have comported himself in such an impulsive and foolhardy manner and realised that his ardour was even more increased at sea than it had been ashore. Given the advanced stage of Diana’s pregnancy, he had abstained entirely for quite some time -- months now -- and he was quite shocked by the degree of his own concupiscence this day; it had been, quite simply, entirely unprecedented in his adult life. It had come upon him like a tempest, something he had very rarely ever experienced in the last eight years, something he was far more accustomed to deal with from Jack than himself. He was shocked by the extent to which his desire for Jack Aubrey had devoured him when he walked into the great cabin. He wondered if this was what other men experienced routinely, this fierce, deep undeniable burning in the bottom of their bellies. He had dreamt repeatedly of Jack since they had boarded _Surprise_ but had dismissed it as not necessarily indicative of anything. There would be time for that later, he had thought, but his virile principle had demanded the time now. Dr Maturin was astounded to realize that he had felt more impulsively desirous of intimacy than he had ever remembered, even as an adolescent.

"You astonish me. I had no idea of it." Jack Aubrey said, but his eyes were smiling. "Well, Doctor," Jack started to laugh out loud with great mirth as he put his small clothes back on and then his breeches and stockings, his face becoming ruddier and ruddier as he near guffawed and his eyes sparkled.

"Jack, what a rattle you are, to be sure. Control yourself, sir.” Jack laughed until the tears streamed down his face. “For shame, soul."

"Dearest Stephen, pray forgive me but I do not believe you possess the moral advantage to tell me to control myself." Jack said, wheezing with laughter. Maturin frowned at him. "You astonish me, brother, but I mean it in the most complimentary way." Jack leaned over and kissed Stephen's neck with the greatest affection. "But pray, Stephen, do forgive me my ill-bred laughter. I laugh with great happiness and not a particle of derision, soul. "

"I know, my dear, and again, I beg your pardon for my great impulsivity." Maturin said, lost in thought as he analysed the scent of mirth and joy that emanated from Jack's person and attempted to disambiguate it from satiation, per se.


End file.
